The present invention relates to an absorbent article having a leg closure which dynamically fits comfortably to the legs of wearer, preventing without failure liquid leakage about the legs.
Absorbent articles with leg closures which are used in direct or indirect contact with wearers to absorb and contain body exudates of the wearers are exemplified by diapers, incontinent briefs, pull-on diapers, diapers, diaper holders, etc.
The major function of the absorbent articles with leg closures, such as disposable diapers and incontinent briefs or undergarments is to absorb body exudates of wearers by the absorbent cores, and prevent the body exudates contained in the absorbent cores from soiling, wetting or otherwise contaminating clothing of the wearers or other articles, such as bedding, that come in contact with the wearers.
Commonly used disposable diapers comprise an absorbent body including a topsheet, backsheet and an absorbent core, and non-elastic side flaps each generally including a non- elastic topsheet, a non-elastic backsheet provided adjacent the longitudinal edges of the diaper. Elasticized side flaps are effective to present a liquid impervious barrier between the edges of the diaper and the contacting clothing, and in addition, provide a gasketing action about the legs of the wearer to maintain a seal about the legs and minimizing gapping. One type of the non-elastic side flaps has elasticized bands to be elasticized around the legs of a wearer.
Pull-on diapers, such as training pants have become popular, especially for use on toilet-training children. Some conventional training pants have the waist opening and the leg openings at least partially encircled with stretch- able bands so that the waist opening and the leg openings are elasticized.
In another type of pull-on diapers, discrete stretchable members are attached to the edges of the side flaps in the front waist area and the rear waist area so that the waist opening is elasticized. Stretchable side panels are effective to from a pull-on diaper, but it has been found that the wide stretchable side panels are preferable to sustain wide range dynamic fit.
In the latter of the above-described absorbent articles, it has been necessary that the stretchable side panels are attached to the edges of the side flaps, or the stretchable side panels are associated with the side flaps. To this end, a width of such stretchable side panels and a width of the plasticized side flap must be balanced with each other in order to provide an appropriate waist fit range in the waist opening and an effective gasketing action about leg openings.
But contradictorily for a large width (a substantially stretchable part except an allowance for attachment) of the stretchable side panel, a sufficient width f the side flap to produce a sufficient gasketing action while for a large width of the side panel, a sufficient width of the stretchable side panel to produce sufficient dynamic fit cannot be allowed. Accordingly there has been a barrier to maximizing the functions of the stretchable side panels and the side flaps by maximizing balanced widths of the stretchable side panels and the side flaps.